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Re-3 receives $112K for wellness planning

Allison Howe tapped as grant manager

By Jenni Grubbs

Times Staff Writer

Posted:
10/08/2017 05:51:00 PM MDT

Students at Columbine Elementary School get moving with Denver Broncos mascot Miles in October 2015 as part of the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. Thanks to a Colorado Health Foundation planning grant, all the schools in Fort Morgan soon will be putting together wellness plans that could include offering such exercise programs as this or various nutritional programs or whatever else is deemed appropriate for each building, according to Allison Howe, the grant manager. (Jenni Grubbs / Fort Morgan Times file photo)

Allison Howe

The schools in Fort Morgan have a year to put together formal wellness and health improvement plans and the funding to allow that to happen, Re-3 School District Assistant Superintendent Dr. Rena Frasco announced Monday night.

"The Colorado Health Foundation approved our proposal," she told the Re-3 School Board of the results of a grant request that the district submitted last June. "We are receiving $112,860 for 12 months of planning."

Her original request was for $102,665 to cover "personnel and essential activities for serving the wellness needs" of the district's schools, but the foundation wound up awarding the school district a little more than that. At the time she submitted it, Frasco called this grant request "one of the shortest grants I think we've ever written for $102,000."

But it was a successful one.

Frasco said that the school district would contract with Allison Howe to serve as the grant's manager and oversee the wellness team leaders from the district's school.

"My role as the grant manager will be meeting all of the requirements from the granting agency, the Colorado Health Foundation," Howe said. "They're investing $100,000-plus in our district."

It will be a somewhat different role for her, as Howe will be paid through the grant for the work she will do for the school district related to the grant instead of offering her services and expertise as a parent volunteer.

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"Up to this point, I've written grants pro bono for the school district because I love the school district and my children are in it," she said. "But the amount of work this will take" left her wanting some compensation for her time. "It involves working with every school in the district, creating a school health improvement plan for each building."

Frasco said that part of creating those plans will be holding community events to get feedback from parents and others about what is needed, and that is something Howe is looking forward to making happen. One way she intends to do this is through the spring parent/teacher conferences the school hold.

"The most exciting part of this planning grant is gathering community voices from every family that comes to parent/teacher conferences and how the school district can support their families' health goals," she said.

The grant also provides some funding for stipends for a wellness team leader at each building, Howe said. These team leaders would be chosen by the building principals or directors, she said.

Frasco pointed out that at least six of the district's eight schools were set to participate in the grant and putting together health improvement plans. As of earlier this week, Lincoln High School and Fort Morgan Middle School were not participating, she said. But that could yet change.

And by virtue of being awarded this grant, the Re-3 School District will receive another benefit other than the planning funding, Howe said.

"Partnering with the Colorado Health Foundation also allows us to use other agencies they fund," she said. "We can use those resources free of charge."

That means that as needs related to health and wellness are identified during the planning phase, the school district can tap such partners for whatever outside services would be required.

Howe said that the planning phase also will include looking at the various wellness activities and programs the individual schools are already doing and help with streamlining them.

"Now more than ever, we understand that student health impacts their short-term academic and long-term success," she said, adding that "parents should be thrilled" about the school district getting this grant.

Howe and the wellness team leaders from the schools will start their initial planning yet this month and continue through the winter, with their bigger community events and feedback-gathering happening in the spring.

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